Success Does Not Equal Happiness

I imagine that it’s easy to look at what I do every day and assume that I’m addicted to achievement; that I’m not happy unless I’m achieving something.

And yes, there was a time (not so long ago) when you would have been right in that assumption about me. But not anymore.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned about happiness — it doesn’t come from achieving. In reality, if you don’t have happiness before you achieve something great, you won’t have it after.

This is a universal fact of life — it applies to success in your job, money, relationships, competition, and weight loss. No amount of success in the world can cover deeply-rooted unhappiness.

No, I do what I do now because I love it. Not because I’m compelled to or feel like I’m not enough if I don’t. I don’t work hard to make up for any perceived shortcomings or for how I badly feel about myself. It’s not about perfection or the individual accomplishments themselves. Failure or lack of achievement does not define my value, nor do my successes.

I do what I do because I believe in possibility; I believe in my potential to grow, change, and evolve. I do it because I wholeheartedly appreciate the gifts I’ve been given — and while there’s still life left in me, I plan to use and enjoy those gifts to the best of my ability.

These things I do, these choices I make, every single day, are a celebration of who I am — not a compensation for it.

You see, I don’t achieve in an effort to be happy. I achieve because I’m already happy.